Apparatus and method for cleaning textile machines



March 22, 1966 P. F. MAGUIRE, JR, ETAL 3,241,572

APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CLEANING TEXTILE MACHINES Original Filed May22, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS PHIL F. MAGUlRE,JR. ARTH MAGSON BY,/c [CA/1,1 p''/ I ATTORNEY FIG.

March 22, 1966 P. F. MAGUHRE, JR, ETAL 3, 7

APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CLEANING TEXTILE MACHINES Original Filed May22. 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS PHILIP E MAGUIRE ARTHUR M ATTORNEMarch 1966 P. F. MAGUIRE, JR, ETAL 3,241,572

APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CLEANING TEXTILE MACHINES Original Filed May22, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 g j C] Zamora PH GUIRE,JR ARTHUR MAGSQNATTORNEY United States Patent fiFice 3,241,572 Patented Mar. 22, 1966APPARATUS AND METHQD F912 CLEANING TEXTELE IWAQHTNES Philip F. Magnire,in, Providence, and Arthur Magson, Cumberland, Rl, assignors to GrinnellCorporation, Providence, Til, a corporation of Delaware Originalapplication May 22, 196i, Ser. No. 111,539, now Patent No. 3,156,264,dated Nov. ltl, 1964. Divided and this application Dec. 6, 1963, Ser.No. 323,555

11 Claims. (Ci. 139-1) This application is a division of applicationSerial No. 111,519, which was filed May 22, 1961, and entitled Apparatusand Methods for Cleaning Textile Machines, and which was issued onNovember 10, 1964, as Patent No. 3,156,264.

This invention relates to improvements in apparatus and methods forcleaning textile machines or the like and for improving the operation ofsuch machines. More particularly it has to do with apparatus employing anovel collection member which acts as a shield to certain moving aircurrents and which has a surface whereon lint, discharged into the airby the machine and shielded from said currents, is deposited. It alsohas to do with a method for blocking such air currents and forcollecting such lint in a novel way.

For many years textile manufacturers have had difficulty in preventinglint from accumulating on the surfaces of their textile machines andthereby interfering with the proper operation of these machines orimpairing the quality of the product. Thus in their operation on thetextile material in its various stages of manufacture, textile machinescause small pieces of fiber (lint) to be pulled away or broken ofl fromthe main body of the material, whereupon air currents and gravity forcescause this lint to move throughout the air in the area where themachines are located. Inevitably a substantial amount of this lint comesto rest upon the machinery and other objects in the room to which it islikely to adhere because of the coating of sizing on the lint made tackyby the high relative humidity normally maintained.

Over a period of time, this lint accumulates to such an extent thatthick matted clumps of it appear on the machinery and on the otherobjects in the room. There is danger that bunches of this accumulatedlint will be dislodged onto the textile material being processed andspoil it and further danger that the lint will clog the maohinerysmoving parts. In addition this lint presents a fire hazard, so that itis desirable to have methods and equipment for retarding such lintaccumulations.

In aggravation of this lint accumulation problem it frequently happensthat mechanical components which are in the lower regions of textilemachines and therefore usually below the textile material beingprocessed by such machines, create appreciable updrafts of air. Thesedrafts tend to carry upward each lint particle which they encounter, sothat instead of falling downward from the point where it was produced(as it would if there were no air currents) the lint particle has anopportunity to reach surfaces higher or considerably to one side of saidproduction point. An example of such a machine component is thejack-shaft and cam unit for the heddles of a loom. This unit, which islocated near the floor, generates a substantial amount of heat duringoperation and thereby creates convection currents which rise upwardthrough the warp strands. Another example of such a machine component isthe lay of a loom which, by its oscillatory motion, produces a fanningaction and causes air currents to pass through the heddles and againupward through the warp strands. These updrafts greatly increase theproblem of preventing lint accumulation because they ccatter the lintfrom the points where it is primarily produced into the air above themachine from which it may continue to rise, or move to the side, or fallback again. The difiiculty is that while it is in the air above themachine the gathering or conducting of the lint is very difficult andrequires equipment to be located where it is likely to interfere withmachine operation.

To solve the lint accumulation problem there have been numerous pastproposals ranging from hand-held air hoses to overhead traveling blowerunits to rigid vacuum hoods mounted on the machinery. Some of these pastproposals have been very successful and are widly used today, but noneof them combines in one unit all the desirable features whichcharacterize the present invention.

For example, in textile machine cleaning apparatus it is desirable: togather the lint into a container from which it cannot again escape tocollect on the machinery or on the floor under the machinery; to gatherlint with apparatus which does no rely on the conduction of the lint bymoving air to a container inlet; to gather the lint from an area of themachine which is not limited by the air moving abilities of a vacuumsystem of reasonable size; to gather the lint with apparatus whicheffectively cleans those portions of itself which are particularlysubject to becoming clogged with lint; to provide apparatus which canreadily fit in limited available space and in space which differs fromone machine to another; to block upwardly moving air currents andprevent them from passing directly through the textile material beinghandled; and to provide apparatus which is simple in construction andeasily installed.

One object of the invention is the provision of textile cleaningapparatus having an extensive, flexible, aircurrent barrier which has alint collecting surface whereby the blocking of rising air currents andthe receiving of lint on the surface are simultaneously achieved.

Another object is the provision of textile cleaning apparatus employinga movable member which is extensive in area, which is arranged to blockrising air currents, which has a surface for receiving thereon lintmoving through the air, and which has apparatus for concentrating thelint so received.

Another object of the invention is the provision of textile cleaningapparatus having a moving, continuous belt mounted between two supports,having one surface portion of the belt presented to lint moving throughthe air, and having an air intake manifold with an intake openingdefined in part by the belt at one of the supports.

Another object of the invention is the provision of textile cleaningapparatus having a moving continuous belt encircling a pair ofsupporting rods and driven therearound by advance of the textilematerial While in frictional engagement with the belt mechanism, havingone surface of the belt presented to lint falling through the air, andhaving a suction manifold at the other roller with an intake openingdefined in part by the belt.

Another object of the invention is the provision of textile loomcleaning apparatus having a moving continuous belt encircling a pair ofsupporting rollers and driven therearound, having one belt portionbeneath the Warp strands and substantially parallel thereto to present amoving, lint-collecting surface to lint falling from the warp strands,and having a suction manifiold at the roller toward which this beltportion moves with an elongated suction intake opening defined in partby the belt passing over such roller.

Another object of the invention is the provision of textile cleaningapparatus having a moving belt mounted on a pair of supporting rods,having one surface of the belt presented to lint falling through the airand having a suction manifold which is adjacent the belt and which hasan intake opening with an improved scraper engaging a surface of thebelt.

Another object is to provide an improved method for gathering lint fromthe air in one region of a textile machine involving the arresting oflint moving through such air, the supporting of such lint and thecarrying of such arrested and supported lint to a station independentlyof air movement, and the removing of such lint from such station.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The best mode in which it has been contemplated applying the principlesof the present invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, butthese are to be deemed primarily illustrative, for it is intended thatthe patent shall cover by suitable expression in the appended claimswhatever of patentable novelty exists in the invention disclosed.

in the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation view of the invention with portions of theloom omitted and other portions broken away to simplify the showing;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged perspective view of one belt roller of FIG. 1and the belt driving mechanism therefor;

FIGURE 3 is a view like FIG. 2 showing another belt driving mechanism;

FIGURE 4 is a side elevation view showing an embodiment in which a beltin the front of the loom encircles rollers parallel to the heddles andin which the belt is driven by the cloth;

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of the arrangement shown in FIG, 4.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a belt 4-8 is located at the front of theloom beneath the part of the warp strands 14, which extend from heddles18 to the cloth 50. More particularly this belt is mounted on a pair ofparallel rollers 52 and 54, one of which (52) has its ends journalled ona bracket 55 mounted on a frame portion 56 and the other of which (54)has its ends journalled on a suction manifold 58. This manifold 58 ismounted on another frame portion 6t} by a bracket 62.

The rollers 52 and 54 are at opposite sides of the loom, as shown, andare positioned so that the lay 64 with the race board 66 and reed 68oscillate above the rollers and manifold and above the upper belt layer48a. The distance under the shed formed by the warp strands between theheddles 18 and the cloth 541 approaching the cloth roll 7 11 is notgreat, and, accordingly, the belt 48 running across the machine in thedirection shown is narrow. However, a considerable amount of lint isformed from the warp strands in the region of the shed, and the belt 48,though comparatively narrow, will catch and carry to the suctionmanifold 58 substantial quantities of such lint. This use of a narrowbelt, which results from run ning it in the direction shown in FIGS. 1and 2, has the advantage that the manifold 58 is short and consequentlythe suction force along the slot is greater for a given suction pumpmotor than it would be if the manifold extended parallel to the heddles.

To drive the roller 52 a friction wheel 72 is journalled on a lever arm74 pivoted to bracket 55. A spring 76 urges the friction wheel againstthe belt 48 where it passes over the roller 52, and the friction wheelhas a rubber tire 72a to insure a satisfactory friction drive. The wheel72 is rotated by a flexible drive shaft 78 which in this embodiment isin the form of a flexible cable connected at one end to the wheel axle72b and at the other end to a reduction gear box St'l which is mountedon the loom frame and receives its input from some convenient part suchas the loom drive shaft 82.

Conduit 34 connected to a manifold nipple 581' conducts air anti lintfrom the manifold 58 to a container 34.

FTC-Ur E 3 shows another way of driving the belt 48 which involvesdriving the roller 52 rather than a friction wheel. In this case theflexible cable 78 is connected to the axle of roller 52 at and therebyrotates the roller Accordingly, the belt must be kept tight enough onthe rollers to provide driving friction between the belt 43 and theroller 52. This is accomplished by providing a belt tightcner which inthis embodiment involves the bracket with a swinging portion 55a onwhich the roller 52 is journalled and which is pivoted to the fixedbracket portion 55!) on an axis 550 by aligned pivots 5511. A spring 556interposed between the fixed and swinging bracket portions urges portion55:: in a clockwise direction (in MG. 3) to maintain the belt 4.3 tautbetween its rollers.

FIGURE 4 shows another embodiment in which a belt is located under thelay 64 between the heddles 18 and the cloth 5'9 approaching the clothroll 7%, this belt be'ng mounted on rollers 112 and 114 which differfrom those in the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2 in that they are parallelto the heddles. One of these rollers (112) is located adjacent theheddles under the lay 64 and the other (11%) is located toward the frontof the loom adjacent the cloth 5h approaching the cloth roll 70. Theroller 114 is somewhat above the roller 112 so that the upper belt layerllfla slants at an angle from the front of the loom downward toward theheddles. The manifold 116 in this case is located at the roller 112which is journalled in the end plates 116a, and the belt is driven by afriction roller 118 mounted on brackets 120 which are secured to a bar119. This bar is in turn pivoted to the loom frame by hooks 119a so thatthe weight of the friction roller swings the bar and bracketscounterclockwise (in FIG. 4) and presses the friction roller 118 againstthe cloth 5i At the same time, a weight roller 12?. resting on the lowerbelt layer 11%, and connected to the bracket 12%? by flexible bands 124,acts as a belt tightener by pressing the lower belt layer 11% againstthe friction roller at 118C. With this arrangement movement of the cloth5b in its normal manner (as indicated by arrow 126) drives the belt111i? and advances the upper belt layer 11% from roller 114 to roller112 where the manifold is located. Roller 114 is journalled in the samebrackets 12f) as the friction roller 118.

Although in one of the above embodiments the belt will move as long asthe textile machine is running because the belt is driven by the textilemachine, it will be understood than an intermittent drive is within thescope of the present invention,

Provision for stopping and starting the belt movement may be desirablein a textile mill where the amount of lint generated is not relativelygreat and Where it is preferred not to run the air suction pumpscontinuously. if the pump for a loom is turned off the belt should alsobe stopped. Then after lint has collected to some extent on the surfaceof the stationary upper belt layer the pump can be started and the beltmoved until the collected lint has been all drawn off at the manifold.

Although the air suction pump, motor and container are shown permanentlymounted on the textile machine, it is within the scope of the inventionto have some or all of these items separable, for example to have thepump motor, container and conduit on a conveyor which wheels along thefloor of the mill room in which many machines are located or which issuspended from an overhead rail in such a room and to have a belt andmanifold on each machine. By bringing the conveyor to each machine inturn, connecting the conduit to the manifold on that machine, moving thebelt on that machine and simultaneously operating the air suction pumpon the conveyor the lint which has collected on the belt surface sincethe previous visit to that machine may be collected.

We claim:

1. In combination with a textile loom having an upper region which isbounded by the cloth roll and the beddles, through which the lay passesand in which lint is generated from the warp strands and filling byoperation of said loom, and having in a lower region, below said warpstrands, components producing during loom operation air currents whichmove upwardly into said upper region and through said warp strandstherein, apparatus for simultaneously blocking said air currents andgathering said lint, said apparatus comprising a first horizontal rolleradjacent the heddles and below said lay, a second roller parallel tosaid first roller and adjacent said cloth roll, said second roller alsobeing below said lay, a flexible belt passing around said rollers incontact therewith and extending therebetween below said lay to separatesaid upper and lower regions, said belt being substantially imperviousto moving air currents, whereby said upwardly moving air currents areprevented from entering said upper region and from carrying said lintupwardly through said warp strands, said belt having one surfacepresented upwardly toward said upper region, whereby said lint fallingdownwardly from said warp strands is arrested by said surface and issupported thereon, means for driving said belt around said rollers tomove said presented belt surface edgewise from one of said rollerstoward the other, and means adjacent a portion of said belt surface forcleaning therefrom lint supported thereon, said belt surface portionextending across the path of belt movement and having a dimensionmeasured along said path of belt movement which is substantially lessthan the corresponding dimension of the entire presented belt surface.

2. The combination of claim 1 in which said means for driving said beltis the cloth roll.

3. The combination of claim 1 in which said second roller is adjacentthe cloth which is produced by the loom and in which said means fordriving said belt includes means connecting said cloth to said belt fortransmitting to said belt the motion of said cloth.

4. The combination of claim 1 in which said second roller is adjacentcloth which is produced by the loom and in which said means for drivingsaid belt is a friction roller engaging both said belt and said cloth.

5. The combination of claim 1 in which the axes of said rollers form aplane, in which there is a belt tightener between said rollers andspaced from said plane, and in which a belt portion between said rollersis engaged by said belt t-ightener and held thereby spaced from saidplane.

6. The combination of claim 1 in which the axes of said rollers form afirst plane at a substantial angle to the vertical, in which there is aweighted roller between said rollers and spaced from said plane, inwhich a belt portion between said rollers is engaged by said weightedroller and held thereby spaced from said plane, in which said secondroller forms a second plane with said weighted roller, and in whichthere is a friction roller between said second roller and said weightedroller and intersected by said second plane, whereby said weightedroller holds the belt part which is between said second roller and saidweighted roller firmly against the surface of said friction roller.

7. The combination of claim 1 in which there is a station through whichcloth made by the loom passes, in which said means for driving said beltcomprises a friction roller which is at said station on one side of saidcloth and which has an axis of rotation, said means further comprising amember pivotally connecting said friction roller to the loom on a secondaxis spaced from said first axis, said first and second axes forming aplane at an angle to the vertical, whereby the weight of said frictionroller urges it to swing about said second axis and to maintain apressure on the cloth at said station.

8. In combination with a textile loom having an upper region which isdefined in part by the cloth roll and the heddles, through which the laypasses and in which lint is generated from the warp strands and fillingby operation of said loom, and having in a lower region, below said warpstrands, components producing during loom operation air currents whichmove upwardly into said upper region and through said warp strandstherein, apparatus for simultaneously blocking said air currents andgathering said lint, said apparatus comprising a first roller below saidlay and with an axis in a vertical plane which is perpendicular to saidheddles, a second roller also below said lay spaced from said firstroller and parallel thereto, an endless belt encircling said rollers incontact therewith and extending therebetween below said lay to separatesaid upper and lower reg-ions, said belt being substantially imperviousto moving air currents, whereby said upwardly moving air currents areprevented from entering said upper region and from carrying said lintupwardly through said warp strands, said belt having one surfacepresented upwardly toward said upper region, whereby said lin-t fallingdownwardly from said warp strands is arrested by said surface and issupported thereon, means for driving said belt around said rollers tomove said presented belt surface edgewise from one of said rollerstoward the other, and means adjacent a portion of said belt for cleaningtherefrom lint supported thereon, said belt surface portion extendingacross the path of belt movement and having a dimension measured alongsaid path of belt movement which is substantially less than thecorresponding dimension of the entire presented belt surface.

9. The combination of claim 8 in which said means for driving said beltcomprises a friction wheel engaging said belt, a flexible drive shafthaving one end connected to said friction wheel, and means connected tothe other end of said flexible drive shaft for rotating said flexibledrive shaft.

10. In combination with a textile loom having an upper region which isbounded by a cloth roll and heddles, through which the lay oscillatesfrom said cloth roll to said heddles, down through which lint falls andup through which air currents rise, apparatus for simultaneouslycollecting said lint and blocking said air currents, said apparatuscomprising an impervious flexible belt extending from a point adjacentsaid cloth roll to a point adjacent said heddles, said belt beingbeneath and substantially as wide as the length of said lay, and meansfor holding said belt taut.

11. The method of gathering lint from theair adjacent a textile loomwhich:

(I) has heddles, a lay, cloth, and drive mechanism,

(II) has a shed extending from the heddles to the cloth,

(III) produces in a first lower region of said loom by the operation ofsaid heddles, lay and drive mechanism air currents which rise upwardlytoward said shed,

(IV) agitates said shed to produce lint which:

(A) tends to fall downwardly from said shed in a second higher reg-ioncovered thereby, (B) is subject to being carried upwardly through saidsecond region by said air currents, said method comprising the steps of:

(V) blocking said rising air currents:

(A) over an area substantially equal to the area of said shed,

7 (B) before they enter said second region, References Cited by theExaminer (VI) arresting the downward movement of said lint UNITED STATESPATENTS from Bald shed 1,850,502 3/1932 Hilker.

(A) over an area substantially equal to the area f 2 400 792 5/1946Turner X Of Said Shed, 2,480,690 8/1949 Ancet 139- 1 X (B) before saidlint enters said first lower region, 2,481,197 9/1949 Caille 5734.5 X(VII) supporting said arrested lint in said second higher 2,582,0 21/1952 Ancet 139l X region, 2,622,626 12/1952 Fletcher 139-7 (VIII)carrying said supported lint slowly across said 10 FOREIGN PATENTSsecond higher region to a station, 1 198 217 6/1959 France (IX) removingsaid lint from said second region at said tation, DONALD W. PARKER,Primary Examiner.

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A TEXTILE LOOM HAVING AN UPPER REGION WHICH ISBOUNDED BY THE CLOTH ROLL AND THE HEDDLES, THROUGH WHICH THE LAY PASSESAND IN WHICH LINT IS GENERATED FROM THE WARP STRANDS AND FILLING BYOPERATION OF SAID LOOM, AND HAVING IN A LOWER REGION, BELOW SAID WARPSTRANDS, COMPONENTS PRODUCING DURING LOOM OPERATION AIR CURRENTS WHICHMOVE UPWARDLY INTO SAID UPPER REGION AND THROUGH SAID WARP STRANDSTHEREIN, APPARATUS FOR SIMULTANEOUSLY BLOCKING SAID AIR CURRENTS ANDGATHERING SAID LINT, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING A FIRST HORIZONTAL ROLLERADJACENT THE HEDDLES AND BELOW SAID LAY, A SECOND ROLLER PARALLEL TOSAID FIRST ROLLER AND ADJACENT SAID CLOTH ROLL, SAID SECOND ROLLER ALSOBEING BELOW SAID LAY, A FLEXIBLE BELT PASSING AROUND SAID ROLLERS INCONTACT THEREWITH AND EXTENDING THEREBETWEEN BELOW SAID LAY TO SEPARATESAID UPPER AND LOWER REGIONS, SAID BELT BEING SUBSTANTIALLY IMPRERVIOUSTO MOVING AIR CURRENTS, WHEREBY SAID UPWARDLY MOVING AIR CURRENTS AREPREVENTED FROM ENTERING SAID UPPER REGION AND FROM CARRYING SAID LINTUPWARDLY THROUGH SAID WARP STRANDS, SAID BELT HAVING ONE SURFACEPRESENTED UPWARDLY TOWARD SAID UPPER REGION, WHEREBY SAID LINT FALLINGDOWNWARDLY FROM SAID WARP STRANDS IS ARRESTED BY SAID SURFACE AND ISSUPPORTED THEREON, MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID BELT AROUND SAID ROLLERS TOMOVE SAID PRESENTED BELT SURFACE EDGEWISE FROM ONE OF SAID ROLLERSTOWARD THE OTHER, AND MEANS ADJACENT A PORTION OF SAID BELT SURFACE FORCLEANING THEREFROM LINT SUPPORTED THEREON, SAID BELT SURFACE PORTIONEXTENDING ACROSS THE PATH OF BELT MOVEMENT AND HAVING A DIMENSIONMEASURED ALONG SAID PATH OF BELT MOVEMENT WHICH IS SUBSTANTIALLY LESSTHAN THE CORRESPONDING DIMENSION OF THE ENTIRE PRESENTED BELT SURFACE.